Fancy Headbands a la Blair Waldorf

Behind every craft, there’s a story. While I was brainstorming craft ideas to feature on my blog, I knew this would be the first one for a few reasons:

1. Gossip Girl and Blair Waldorf are HUGE these days
2. Headbands are super trendy right now
3. Every single store is selling fancy headbands
4. This is a REALLY easy craft
5. I selfishly wanted some new headbands and wasn’t interested in spending $30+ on a headband

 

Because this is a real TRENDY item and I know most girls have at least one headband with a bow on it, I wanted to show everyone just HOW easy and quick this is to make. Why spend a fortune on a headband when you can just as easily make it yourself for under $20?

Things You Need:

• Plain plastic headbands - no more than one inch thick (it’s harder to work with bigger ones)
• Hot glue gun & glue shots
• Wide ribbon (can be satin, velvet, whatever you like or have hanging around)
• Scissors

 

Things You Don’t NEED But Are More Than Welcome To Use Too:

• Buttons (I keep all those extra buttons from clothes and have a random leftover button bag)
• Jewels
• Feathers
• Fake flowers
• Scrapbook-type 3-D decorations

 

How To:

1. Wrap ribbon tightly around the headband from one end to the other, winding it super tight to approximate how much ribbon you’ll need. Plug in your glue gun too, nobody likes cold glue.
2. Cut ribbon, and give yourself a little bit of extra at the end. It’s easier when the ribbon is too long rather than too short!
3. Put a small bead of glue on the end of one side of the ribbon, on the wrong side (the side you DON’T want showing) and press it to the inside of the headband.
4. Now that your ribbon is stuck to the headband, it’s time to wind it up! Wrap the ribbon TIGHTLY around the headband, moving from one end to the other. Note: you’ll notice that I didn’t officially go from the real ends of the headband. This is because it’s a heck of a lot more comfortable if you leave a bit of plastic at the ends for behind your ears. You don’t want a mound of glue and ribbon poking you every time you wear your fancy headband!
5. Once you’ve reached the other end, secure the ribbon down with a bit of hot glue on the inside. You don’t want glue showing on the outside!
6. Now it’s time for fun. Using extra bits of ribbon, make loops gluing the ends together. I made two loops, one slightly bigger than the other, and wrapped a third shorter piece of ribbon to secure my “bow”. You can make as many or as few loops as you like - depending on how BIG you want your bow to be! Tip: while you’re securing your bow with extra ribbon, pinch it slightly while you’re gluing so it looks snazzier!
7. Once your bow is ready, decide where you want it on your headband. I actually snuck into my sister’s room and borrowed her ready-made bow headbands to see their location. Oddly enough, mass-made bow headbands put their bows really close to the ear. It really depends what sort of look you’re going for. A bow on top of the headband has a bit of Alice in Wonderland appeal, while a side bow is more Blair Waldorf. Once you’ve decided, glue that bow to the headband! You’ll want to hold it down for a few seconds to make sure it doesn’t move.
8. Wear it, and be the ENVY of your friends!

Estimated Time: 20-35 minutes
Crafty Level: EASY, with glue gun use

Alternate options:

• Make smaller bows and decorate them with fancy buttons or jewels
• Skip the bows entirely and just decorate with fun flowers
• Use different colored ribbons for the headband and bows

Wear it and enjoy!

Tags: easy, headbands, inspirations